The Bayelsa state police command has
confirmed the arrest of five members of the All Progressives Congress
(APC) who allegedly trailed the convoy of the former president, Goodluck
Jonathan.
This was contained in a statement issued yesterday, November 30, by the police command in the state, Leadership reports.
Jonathan was said to have been trailed by some suspected militants working for the APC in state who drove into his convoy.
Asimin Butswat, the state police spokesman said the men were not militants.
According to him, the men mistook the former president’s convoy for their principal.
“We are still investigating the incident,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Ijaw National Frontiers (INF) has said the Bayelsa police command was trying to cover up facts.
A statement released by the group’s coordinator, Dr Esther Atani in Yenagoa on Tuesday, December 1, read: “We were shocked at the defence put up by the police in Bayelsa through the command’s public relations officer, that the arrested gang members are not militants but rather some set of hungry youths, who mistook Dr. Jonathan’s convoy for that of the gubernatorial candidate of the APC, Chief Timipre Sylva.
“As Bayelsans, we are familiar with several of the elements being used as political thugs by politicians and we make bold to say, that two members of the arrested gang are renowned militants from the Nembe area of the state, who have various criminal records, even with the police.”
The group added that this was an indication that security agency would likely be partisan in the days ahead of the governorship election in the state.
The INF called on the inspector general of police, Solomon Arase to investigate an attempt by the state police command to cover up the facts about the alleged attack on Jonathan’s convoy.
“We, therefore, call on all Nigerians of good conscience to join in demanding a thorough investigation into the attempted attack on Dr. Goodluck Jonathan since it is hard to believe that the police would join in insinuating that those youths were unfamiliar with Dr. Jonathan’s residence and so mistakenly followed him to the point of entering,” the group said.
Yesterday, there were reports that some men drove into a short motorcade transporting Jonathan from the Julius Berger bridge area of Yenogoa, Bayelsa’s state capital and trailed him to the entrance of his private house in the Kpansia area of the town.
But the police had said it was a mistake as the men thought it was a political party convoy.
This was contained in a statement issued yesterday, November 30, by the police command in the state, Leadership reports.
Jonathan was said to have been trailed by some suspected militants working for the APC in state who drove into his convoy.
Asimin Butswat, the state police spokesman said the men were not militants.
According to him, the men mistook the former president’s convoy for their principal.
“We are still investigating the incident,” he added.
 |
| The suspects. |
A statement released by the group’s coordinator, Dr Esther Atani in Yenagoa on Tuesday, December 1, read: “We were shocked at the defence put up by the police in Bayelsa through the command’s public relations officer, that the arrested gang members are not militants but rather some set of hungry youths, who mistook Dr. Jonathan’s convoy for that of the gubernatorial candidate of the APC, Chief Timipre Sylva.
“As Bayelsans, we are familiar with several of the elements being used as political thugs by politicians and we make bold to say, that two members of the arrested gang are renowned militants from the Nembe area of the state, who have various criminal records, even with the police.”
The group added that this was an indication that security agency would likely be partisan in the days ahead of the governorship election in the state.
The INF called on the inspector general of police, Solomon Arase to investigate an attempt by the state police command to cover up the facts about the alleged attack on Jonathan’s convoy.
“We, therefore, call on all Nigerians of good conscience to join in demanding a thorough investigation into the attempted attack on Dr. Goodluck Jonathan since it is hard to believe that the police would join in insinuating that those youths were unfamiliar with Dr. Jonathan’s residence and so mistakenly followed him to the point of entering,” the group said.
Yesterday, there were reports that some men drove into a short motorcade transporting Jonathan from the Julius Berger bridge area of Yenogoa, Bayelsa’s state capital and trailed him to the entrance of his private house in the Kpansia area of the town.
But the police had said it was a mistake as the men thought it was a political party convoy.
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